Smoker fuel

[user 3509]

Dried teabags with lavender stalks.

 

[psafloyd]

Dried tea ags? Sounds like a good idea and better than newspaper, even.

 

[Alphakillpestie]

Good old fashioned hay in my smoker or dried grass after a cut either will dry and smoke well

 

[D K B.]

Any of the stuff I've cut down from around the apiary, so long as its not got brambles in it.

 

[oxnatbees]

I don't use a smoker

It just riles the bees. I use a TBH and minimal intervention. I showed my hives to some conventional beeks and one suggested smoke to drive the bees back in. So I dusted off my smoker (had to find it first!) and tried it. We quickly realised that even if I wanted to use it, there's a fundamental constructional difference between a TBH and a conventional one - smoke normally drives bees down into the gaps between the frames but with a TBH... uh... there isn't one, because you seal up the gaps between bars as you go. So we irritated some bees and they had nowhere to immediately go 8)

When I DO use a smoker is, sometimes, to mask my own smell. In which case I use dried grass (the "something else" in the survey) as the least acrid, irritating smoke I can obtain.

 

[clodhopper]

shredded paper with a scud of green grass as a filter to cool the smoke

 

[Honey N]

Rough cut hay

We cut and dry very rough hay from a local field, seems to work really well

 

[justme]

Any of the stuff I've cut down from around the apiary, so long as its not got brambles in it.

Why not brambles in it?

 

[psafloyd]

Why not brambles in it?

I would assume as brambles burn REALLY HOT. They make a great fire, but can imagine it would turn your smoker into a flamethrower.

 

[Alan and Anthea]

Wood planer shavings work well.

 

[Hivemaker.]

Why not brambles in it?

Tend to be prickly, could become painful filling the smoker perhaps.

 

[beehive1234]

Collected all the shavings from the chain sawing of this winter's wood pile.

 

[Mr Bumbles]

Fuel

I use the shreaded cardboard that is used in boxes from bee suppliers,I also use dried rotten wood,moss and grass.

 

[Dusty Rhodes]

Hi Admin.


This poll was first posted (by your good self) on 6/1/11.


Is it time to close it?


Dusty.

 

[victor meldrew]

They tell me herbal C has acalming effect on bees.
VM

 

[Tom Bick]

Yes VM probably very calming and from my observations (not on bees) they just may sit around eating and talk about lots of work but tomorrow and then perhaps…..

 

[victor meldrew]

Yeya
Maan .

 

[Into the lions den]

Best thing for them being calm is the successful completion of the mating flight.

Works for me, so MUST make sense for them too?

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

yes but could you put up with the incessant giggling from the hive?